4 Tips to Up Your Quit Smoking Game for 2017

Quitting smoking is difficult, even when using vaping as a smoking cessation method. It’s an individual journey that’s fraught with numerous pitfalls, all of which can derail even the best efforts. And you’re not alone. As of early 2016, 59% of vapers were still smoking cigarettes. Here are some tips to help you up your game if you’re not quite off the cigs yet.

1. Use NHS Stop Smoking Services

If you haven’t checked out your local stop smoking service, you may want to give it a try. Each stop smoking service has been advised by NHS to “proactively welcome” anyone using e-cigarettes. The services include individual and group counseling, which when used with vaping can improve your chances of quitting over vaping alone.

2. Map Your Smoking Triggers

If smoking is something you do at specific times or with specific actions, you can help yourself quit smoking by either changing the actions or being aware of your triggers so you know when to fire up some additional willpower. Write down when and why you’ve smoked for a couple of weeks. Then, if you noticed that you smoked after/during specific events, you can change your behaviour. For example, if you smoke after meals, you can replace smoking with another action, such as going for a walk or treating yourself to a dessert instead.

3. Rethink Your Vape Kit & Eliquids

If you are still smoking, your vape kit and eliquids may not be delivering the experience you need. Consider upgrading to a better model which can deliver more flavour, or increase the nicotine content in your eliquids. Order different flavours of eliquids if the ones you’ve been vaping don’t appeal to you. If you have just started vaping, you may not be aware that you need to change your coils regularly, and doing so will ensure that you always have the best experience - see our post on vape coils for more. We’ll also be running specials throughout January if you need to upgrade your kit on the cheap - watch our site and social media channels for more.

4. Use a Quit Smoking App

Apps are effective weapons in the battle against smoking. Just as you would use a fitness tracker to help you lose weight or improve your fitness levels, quit smoking apps give you key data that reinforces your decision to quit. They can help you see how much money you are saving, how many cigarettes you haven’t smoked, and much more data that can help you track your activity. We have our own quit smoking app, as does the NHS.

5. Go for Gradual Reduction

As we sail into the New Year, resolve to quit by numbers if you are finding it hard to quit entirely. A quit smoking app will help you keep track of numbers of cigarettes smoked - if you can resolve to cut down by a certain percentage or number each month that you are comfortable with, you’ll still be doing your body a favour with each cigarette you don’t smoke - and you’ll gradually reduce to zero. One of the attractions of vaping is that you can quit entirely at your own pace - but it's up to you to set that pace.

Let’s not sugar-coat it - quitting smoking is one of the hardest things you will do in your life. But with the proper support, managing your triggers, and keeping track of your data, you will get much further than by just vaping. Take advantage of the resources out there, and you’ll be well on your way to being smoke free in 2017.